


Loving is Easy (To Fuck Up)

by jaybird_elliott2020



Series: Son of Robin [5]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Angry Jason Todd, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxious Damian, Anxious Jason Todd, Anxious Tim Drake, Caught, First Love, Hands Down Pants, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Jason and Tim are good parents, M/M, Making Out, Mentions of childhood abuse, New Relationship, Past Mpreg, Past Teen Pregnancy, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Tim is Damain's mom, depressed Damian, mentions of past non-con, mentions of past violence, mentions of sexual abuse, miscommunications
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:14:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25541917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jaybird_elliott2020/pseuds/jaybird_elliott2020
Summary: The woes of Damian's first relationship. Plus, an outsider getting insight into the Todd family.
Relationships: Damian Wayne/Colin Wilkes, Tim Drake/Jason Todd
Series: Son of Robin [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839805
Comments: 5
Kudos: 129





	1. Interruption

So the thing about Jason’s anger is that it’s not gone. He’s just learned to manage it better than when he was a young twenty-something. For his family’s sake. But occasionally, he still does have to take a long walk.

“Jason,” Tim said, gently, resting a hand on Jason’s upper arm, “how about a walk?”

Jason turned over his shoulder and stormed out the front door.

He hadn’t meant to get so angry. Really. He thought he could handle it. Damian was growing up. He was sixteen! Jason knew he made stupid decisions, that he was going to continue making stupid decisions.

But this …

This took the fucking cake.

~ ~ ~

_An hour earlier_. _Todd House_.

Damian walked in the door quietly. It was late. He was supposed to be home by now, but Jason and Tim were out for the night and his brother and sister were staying at the Manor with Bruce. They told him he could stay home if he promised to be back before midnight. He had slipped curfew a little bit but figured it would be ok since no one would actually _know_ he was late.

He was looking at the shoe bins by the door, double checking no one had come back while he had been out. No cars in the driveway. Nothing.

He was in the clear.

“Ok, you can come in,” he said over his shoulder, holding the door open for the boy behind him.

“Thanks,” Colin said.

Colin was one of Damian’s classmates. They got along pretty well, all things considered. Damian knew he could be cold and abrasive at times and it took some alphas off guard. He didn’t really adhere to most of the omega stereotypes, but Colin didn’t seem to mind. Colin seemed to like it.

“So, your folks are out?” Colin asked.

Damian nodded. “Mom and Dad are on date night, staying at a hotel in the city. Bash and Izzie are at Grandpa’s. Just us.”

“Cool,” Colin grinned. “So, whatcha wann—mphg.”

Damian slammed his lips against Colin’s clenching his eyes shut and hoping he was doing it right. After a few seconds, Colin chuckled through the kiss.

Damian pulled back quickly, discouraged.

“Sorry,” he mumbled.

“No, no,” Colin replied, waving his hands and trying to sooth Damian’s nerves. “It was good, like really good, like I really wanna kiss you, it’s just … that was _a lot_ of tongue.”

Damian blushed and averted his eyes.

Colin reached out, turning Damian’s cheek to him.

“How about we go slow?” Colin suggested.

Damian nodded.

Colin took Damian’s hand and pulled him towards the living room. He sat them down on the couch and situated himself so he was facing Damian.

“Relax,” Colin cooed, rubbing a thumb along Damian’s neck. Damian forced his shoulders to drop. “Face me.” Damian turned in to the couch and pulled his leg up so he was in a half-pretzel sit. “’Kay, I’m gonna kiss you now?”

Damian nodded, closing his eyes and leaning in. Colin watched, smirking a little but mostly feeling warm and fuzzy in his chest. He pressed his lips into Damian’s. This time, the kiss was soft, gentle. Colin took the lead. He guided Damian’s face, tilting it so their noses didn’t touch. He kept their lips sealed, pulling back when Damian tried to push his tongue out again. He went slow. He didn’t let his hands wander from Damian’s face.

Damian liked it, appreciated the gentleness and Colin’s patience.

“Can I … Can I touch you?” Damian panted, pulling back from a firmer kiss.

Colin nodded his head and Damian reached out slowly, resting his arms on Colin’s shoulders. Colin smiled at him.

“Can _I_ touch _you_?” Colin asked.

“You already are,” Damian replied.

“But more, like, other places?” Colin asked.

Damian paused, but nodded. It took a lot for him to work up to going on a date with Colin. It took even more to let him touch him. It took all of him to become comfortable with the thought of sex. And tonight, he wasn’t sure he had all of himself.

“Just …“ Damian started, he let himself fluster out, shaking his head. “Never mind.”

“Ok. Just tell me if I do something you don’t like,” Colin said.

“I will,” Damian assured him, leaving off the part where he added _one way or another_.

~ ~ ~

_An hour earlier_. _Wayne Manor._

“Shh, baby, shh,” Tim cooed, cradling his daughter tight to his body. The baby had thrown up several time after they left her with her grandfather.

“Sorry about your date,” Bruce said, reaching out and rubbing Izzie’s back a little. “I really didn’t want to call but she was so upset.”

Jason shook his head as he gathered Bash and Izzie’s overnight bag. He was holding a sleeping Bash on his hip.

“It’s not your fault,” Jason said. “Things happen. We’re the ones who decided to have kids.”

“It’s that fucking preschool,” Tim grumbled. Izzie whined a little in his shoulder. He rubbed her back. “I swear it’s like a germ buffet for her! She puts everything in her mouth.”

Izzie stirred more and whimpered.

“Your upsetting her,” Jason pointed out, receiving a glare from his partner that he ignored. “It’s ok. It’s good for her to be around germs. I’d be concerned if she wasn’t getting sick every now and then.”

“You have no soul,” Tim whined, clutching his daughter closer. How could Jason wish illness upon such a precious baby!

“She’ll be fine,” Jason said. He grabbed the car keys off the counter and waved a hand at Bruce. “Thanks for keeping them.”

“Anytime,” Bruce said, waving back.

“Seriously, thank you,” Tim repeated, following behind Jason. “You say bye to Grandpa?” Tim asked Izzie.

“Bye,” came Izzie’s weak voice.

Bruce waved smally and smiled.

~ ~ ~

Colin had his hands up Damian’s shirt, rubbing along the taut plains of his stomach. He kissed gently along Damian’s collarbone. He let his hands wander lower, gripping Damian’s hips. Damian keened at the touches, wrapping his arms around Colin’s, running his fingers over his shoulders and back, over the shirt.

After a while, he got bold, tugging at the bottom of Colin’s shirt, whispering “off” in a gruff voice. Colin leaned back on his heels and obliged

Damian sat up, chasing him and following suit.

They were both shirtless.

Colin kissed him harder the longer they laid there. His hands wandered over Damian’s jeans, popping the button and making Damian’s breath stutter.

“Ok?” Colin asked.

Damian nodded quickly before he could think about it.

“Kay,” Colin confirmed, nosing into Damian’s neck and sliding his hand inside of his pants.

The front door opened and both boys froze in terror.

“I’ll take Izzie to bed, you take Bash?” Tim’s voice came.

Damian heard the shoes being thrown in the bins. Damian heard his mother and father bring his little brother and sister in through the living room. Surely, Colin heard too. But they didn’t move a muscle.

It was Tim who saw them first. He tensed and stopped, flipping the overhead light on and seeing a boy crowding over his son, hand down his pants. Jason came next.

“Everything o—” he stopped.

Damian was shaking.

When he finally came back to his body, when the initial shock of being walked in on passed, he batted Colin’s hand away and pushed him back.

Neither Jason nor Tim said anything.

Damian moved slowly upright, pushing Colin with him.

“Uh, hi?” he said, the words almost getting caught in his throat.

Colin was fully shaking beside him. Damian realized it was because Jason was glaring at him with the intensity of a Bat. The only thing that could’ve made it worse was if Jason was armed.

Jason moved first, setting Bash on the ground.

“Take Bash and Izzie upstairs, Tim,” Jason said, eyes never leaving Colin.

Tim nodded and hurried Bash up the steps, still carrying Izzie.

Jason waited until he heard them reach the top of the stairs before he spoke again.

“Name,” Jason ordered.

“Colin Wilkes,” Colin said.

“How old are you Colin,” Jason demanded.

“S-seventeen,” Colin replied.

“Did you just have your hands down my son’s pants?”

Colin paused and looked to Damian, who quickly looked away from both of them.

“Y-yes sir,” Colin said, bowing his head.

“Ok.” Jason was surprisingly calm so far.

“Ok?” Damian asked, looking back a little hopeful.

“Oh, I’ll get to you in a minute,” Jason said, pointing a stern finger at Damian. Damian deflated immediately.

“He didn’t do anything wrong,” Colin interjected, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.

“Did I fucking ask you?” Jason barked, making Colin jumped. “No! I didn’t!”

Jason took a deep breath and centered himself before continuing.

“The only reason you’re still here is because I haven’t decided if I’m going to kill you yet,” Jason threatened. “I really haven’t. But every time you open your mouth, I get one second closer to making a decision. So think about the next words that come out of your mouth, Colin Wilkes.”

Colin deflated too.

“Damian,” Jason said with a sigh. “Fucking … are you insane! Are you actually stupid? We leave you home alone one night, _one_ night, and this is what you get up to? And you,” back to Colin, “how far in the future did, _you_ think? Did you _bring_ a condom?”

“Dad!” Damian yelped.

“Did _you_?” Jason hissed, stepping forward.

Damian scowled but didn’t answer.

“Fucking … what the fuck? Why am I dealing with this? Why did you … what did you … fuck! Fuck!”

Tim came down the stairs.

“Jason,” Tim said, calm.

“Fucking condoms! Neither of them!” Jason growled, pointed accusingly at the pair on the couch. “I thought that your mother telling you what happened to him, that hearing all the stories of what being a pregnant teenager was like for _him_ would make you at least be _safe_! But no! It’s like you want to get pregnant! Ruin your life! Huh! What the fuck, Damian? What were you thinking!”  
  


“Jason!” Tim yelled. “Jason, stop!”

Jason jumped and stared at Tim.

Tim stepped forward, a little anger lingering in his eyes. “Jason,” he said gently, “how about a walk?”

~ ~ ~

Jason felt really bad.

He felt bad about what he said. He felt bad about how he said what he said. He felt bad about getting angry especially. He hadn’t gotten angry with Damian in a long time. He wasn’t even mad _at_ Damian. He was afraid for him. When he saw the stupid boy, stupid little alpha shit Colin Wilkes, on top of his son he assumed the worst. He always did when it came to Damian.

Damian had gone through so much in his life and he was still so young. So many people tried to hurt him, so many succeeded. Jason felt the need to protect him from the moment they met. He still thought like he did the day he found Damian in the Blüdhaven apartment, the day he found Tim struggling to feed him, the day they found him halfway across the country with his father, the day he ran away from Bruce’s. He had been so concerned with keeping Damian _safe_ that he neglected to acknowledge Damian had grown up. He could take care of himself. For fucks sake, Bruce taught him how to take down _Batman_ in hand-to-hand, Tim taught him how to wield a bo staff, Jason himself showed him how to properly handle a gun. Damian would be safe in the world. He would be _leaving_ them in a few years. And as terrifying as that was, Jason couldn’t stop it.

Somehow, knowing that some things were out of his control, calmed him down.

Jason turned at the corner store, a half-hour walk from home.

~ ~ ~

Tim folded his arms after he calmed Colin and Damian down, gave them some tea.

“Alright you two,” Tim said, “time for a little talk.”

“Mom,” Damian grumbled.

Tim held up his hand and Damian stopped.

“Colin,” Tim said, “I’m sorry my son isn’t a gentleman and we had to meet under such … unsavory circumstances. Really, I am, but you two had to know better. I mean, Damian, how many times have we talked about safe sex. It’s important for both of you to understand that you _can_ have sex, but you need to be smart about it. Damian, that goes doubly for you. You can’t rely on others to have your best interest at heart, you should really carry protection. And Colin, you should know better than to get involved with an omega without thinking about how you’re going to protect him and yourself. You are just as responsible for an unplanned pregnancy as he is, alright?”

“Mom,” Damian groaned.

“Damian,” Tim warned.

“We weren’t gonna do anything!” Damian yelled, slamming his hands on the table.

“We weren’t?” Colin asked.

“No!” Damian barked. “We weren’t. I’m not … I’m not ready. But I’m also not stupid! I can take care of myself.”

“I didn’t say you couldn’t,” Tim replied.

“No, you didn’t have to!” Damian said. “You and Jason just assumed that I wasn’t being safe, that I didn’t listen to you guys every time we talked about safe sex or you having me when you were a teenager and I did! I listened! I understand I have to take care of myself! But you guys have to trust that I know what I’m doing! I’ve never not asked you when I had a question about this stuff! Can’t you guys just … stop treating me like I’m a little kid! I’m sixteen!”

Tim doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t know what to say.

The front door opened and closed, and Jason came into the kitchen. He looked in to the sitting area where they all stared at him, uncomfortable silence lingering in the air.

“Hey,” Tim said. “You good?”

Jason nodded and came to sit next to Tim at the table.

“I’m sorry for flipping out,” he said to both Damian and Colin, but also a little to Tim as well.

Damian sat back further in his seat but didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry too,” Tim said. “I’m sorry I assumed. I didn’t mean to make you feel like I thought you couldn’t take care of yourself, Damian.”

“I’m sorry about that too,” Jason agreed, nodding along with Tim.

“Whatever,” Damian grumbled, “can we go now?”

Tim and Jason exchanged a look.

“This isn’t over,” Jason said.

Damian nodded but stood up and took Colin by the shirt, which had been put back on at Tim’s request, and tugged him along.

“C’mon Colin, I’ll walk you home.”

Then they left.


	2. Meet the Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Colin returns and has a fairly pleasant dinner while learning a bit about Damian.

Jason and Tim try to be patient, wait for Damian to bring Colin around again on his own, but it doesn’t happen. Around Christmas, Jason suggested Damian invite Colin over for dinner with their family.

“No,” Damian said firmly.

“Why not?” Tim asked, depositing a colorful plate in front of Izzie, who was waiting patiently and quietly for her food in her booster seat.

Bash was shoveling rice and chicken into his mouth with his hands as fast as he could, ignoring his father’s stern glare.

Damian only picked.

“Because Jason was an asshole last time he was here,” Damian practically hissed, dropping his fork to his plate with a clatter.

“Language,” Tim warned.

“He had his hand down your fucking pants!” Jason protested. Both Damian and Jason ignored Tim.

“And?! You called me an idiot! You told me I was throwing my life away for _making_ _out_ with a boy!”

“Hands! Down your pants!” Jason barked back.

“Knock it off!” Tim yelled, slamming a hand on the table, gaining their attention. “Both of you, stop fighting!”

Bash had stopped eating, looking worriedly between the older men at the table and Damian.

“God, I’m so sick of you two being at each other’s throats,” Tim groaned, furiously spooning rice onto his own plate. “Damian. Just invite Colin to dinner tomorrow night. Dad’ll make something. Jason. Play nice when Colin is here. No threatening. No posturing. And _no_ guns.”

Damian and Jason didn’t say anything, so Tim took that as a win.

“Problem solved,” Tim declared. He turned to Bash. “Bash, you’re fork, son. Use it.”

~ ~ ~

The night of the dinner ends up being a couple days after Christmas. Colin had told Damian he was out of town visiting relatives in Metropolis when Damian originally invited him. But by the 28th, he’d be free to come see him.

Admittedly, Colin is hesitant to return, afraid of Damian’s parents and what they may say to him, but Damian assured him that Jason was under strict orders to not be mean. And Colin liked Damian’s mom. He seemed … chill. Like he’d seen it all before.

“Welcome,” Damian said, holding his arms out awkwardly and gesturing around the front hall, like he was introducing Colin to the house for the first time. He kind of was. The last time they had been here, the lights were off and they were more focused on one another.

“Nice place,” Colin said, kicking his shoes off and leaving them on the mat next to the shoe bin rather than in it. “That you?” Colin pointed to a photo of a black-haired newborn, curled up around a plushie of Red Hood with bullet casings around it. (Jason thought that photo shoot was funny. Tim did not. Though he couldn’t argue with the results.)

“That one’s Bash,” Tim’s voice came, startling both boys. He leaned in the doorway of his office, not looking at them but smiling at the photo. “Everyone who sees that thinks they look alike. Damian doesn’t.”

“We don’t,” was all Damian replied.

“I don’t know,” Colin chimed in. “I think you two have the same sour look. Like your gonna kill the next person who looks your way.”

Damian snickered a little, folding his arms. “I can take you in a fight, Wilkes, don’t forget it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Colin said.

Tim looked between them. There was such a casual atmosphere in the air. They were comfortable with one another. That was the moment Tim decided he like Colin. He made Damian smile.

“Jason’s cooking dinner,” Tim announced. “Enchiladas, hope that’s ok, Colin.”

“Of course Mr. Wayne,” Colin replied.

“Call me Tim,” Damian’s mother said. “If you’re lucky, you’ll never meet Mr. Wayne.”

Damian really laughed at that one. “You guys didn’t invite Grandpa?” he asked, through chuckles. “I thought for sure Dad woulda called him in for backup.”

“I stopped him,” Tim replied, smiling. He was happy—and a little bit surprised—that Damian was being so playful in spite of the tensions he currently had with his dad. Tim turned to Colin. Of course, he wouldn’t be a good mother unless he did his part to embarrass his son a little bit. “Colin, if you want I have baby pictures of Damian you can look at? Maybe we can finally prove to him that he and Bash are twins.”

Colin grinned. “Love too.”

Tim guided the boys into the living room, ignoring the intense glare his son was giving him behind his boyfriend’s back.

~ ~ ~

“Aw, look at this one Jason!” Tim cooed, removing one of the photos of baby Damian from the album and bringing it to the breakfast bar to show Jason while he was cooking.

“When was that?” Jason asked.

“I think, Damian was ten months? No, eleven. Yeah. Eleven. I remember because that was the month he started crawling and ran into everything because he refused to look where he was going. Nearly killed me every time,” Tim laughed.

“I can imagine,” Jason smiled back.

Colin was smiling over at Damian, who looked slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable. There was fondness in his eyes too though. Colin liked that.

Damian looked back at him, searching for any questions in his eyes. Maybe _why doesn’t your dad remember when you first started crawling_ or _how come it feels like there’s so many spaces in this album_ or _what’s happening around here_. He didn’t find the questions. He was grateful for that.

Colin leaned over Damian to pick up a smaller baby book among the albums Tim dragged out. It was a little bigger than a standard hardcover book with a blue bear on the front. Damian reached out to take it back, but Colin pressed it into his chest.

“I wanna look,” he said, a smile in his voice. Damian didn’t share it.

“No,” Damian said firmly, snatching it away and standing up. “Not that one.”

Tim was watching from the breakfast bar, stopping his conversation with Jason.

“Damian?” he said, wandering back to the couch. “Something wrong?”

“He—” Colin started to answer.

“It’s nothing,” Damian cut him off, quickly hiding the book behind his back. “I’m gonna go show Colin my room.”

Before anyone can react, Damian grabbed Colin’s hand and dragged him up the steps. When the reached the top, Damian heard Jason calling out “Keep the door open!”

Once they were safely inside—Damian ignoring Jason’s instruction—he let out a deep sigh.

“What was that about?” Colin asked.

“Uh, nothing. Don’t worry about it,” Damian said, turning his back to Colin and shoving the book in his nightstand. He sat on his bed once he was satisfied the book was secured and tried to calm himself down. His heart was beating fast.

“Are you ok?” Colin asked, gently, moving to the bed and sitting slowly next to Damian.

Damian thought about his answer.

“I don’t know,” he finally replied after a longer stretch of silence. “Give me a minute?”

“Yeah, take your time,” Colin said.

Damian flopped back on his bed, sprawling his arms out so they touched the other end of the mattress. Colin looked around the room.

It was kind of messy, but in a lived-in kind of way. Damian’s clothes weren’t laying out on the floor, but some of his shirts were hanging out of the hamper, like Damian had been rushing to get them in there. There were a few stacks of books on his desk—some textbooks, some assigned reading, some personal indulgences. Next to the books is a green bin with paint and paintbrushes and a collapsible easel. Under the desk there are a few canvasses still in saran wrap packaging.

Colin started to search for paintings. The walls are decorated, painted a base of grayish blue but detailed with birds and clouds and little things here and there. There are shelves with books bolted in the wall close to the desk. There are pictures of Damian with his family, not framed, in cascading designs above his bed, between the windows. There aren’t any paintings.

“What are you looking for?” Damian asked.

Colin looked back to see Damian looking up at him with half-lidded eyes.

“You paint,” Colin pointed out, briefly glancing to the desk then back to Damian. “So where are the paintings?”

Damian sat up, paused, then got off the bed.

“I don’t hang them up,” he explained while walking over to his closet. On the inside of the closet doors, however, there _are_ paintings hanging up (not on canvas and mostly small, but there are enough they almost take up an entire door on one side). Damian didn’t acknowledge them, so neither did Colin. Instead he leaned in and shuffled a few things around before producing a few canvasses out of wrapping.

He brought them back to the bed and laid them out.

“I’m working on a series right now,” Damian said, taking care to align the canvasses next to each other until they were to his liking.

Colin stood and went to stand next to Damian so they were looking down on the pieces.

There were five paintings.

The first one was marred with dark colors. It featured a baby, falling, headfirst in darkness. The baby itself is glowing, the light from its body shooting out into the dark. The deep reds and grays and blacks and blues are beginning to creep into the light.

The second painting had softer colors. There are reds and grays and blacks and blues, but there are pinks and teals and yellows now too. The center of the piece is a pregnant man, naked and standing among flowers and trees and plants and butterflies and spiders. He cradles his belly tenderly, smiling down at it. His shoulders are bruised. His thighs are bleeding. But he looks happy.

The third painting is one Damian struggled with. He still doesn’t like it all that much. It’s a man, different from the one from the previous painting (he has red hair instead of black and there are large scars on his skin that aren’t on the other). He’s holding a young girl. His back is to the viewer. The girl is clinging to him, looking out. Her cheek is pressed to the man’s shoulder. She doesn’t look sad or afraid, but she is not happy. Damian spent so much time painting her face. He could never seem to get it right.

The fourth painting is dark again. There is a young boy at the foreground, holding his arms protectively over his head. He’s kneeling, arched forward a little. There’s rain. Water filling around him. A hand is reaching out from the top left, but the boy can’t see it because he’s watching the water.

The fifth and final painting isn’t finished. It is the boy again, from the shoulders up, tucking his hair behind his ear, his eyes closed. There are flowers growing along his exposed skin in the shape of handprints. He has been painted in, but the rest is just an outline. Colin can tell there is going to be people standing in the background. One looks like the man from the second painting, another the man and girl from the third. The baby isn’t there.

“What’s it mean?” Colin asked, lamely, after he finished scouring them all from corner to corner. He suddenly felt like he didn’t know Damian at all.

Damian shrugged. “I don’t know what to call it. I know they all come together. I know they’re connected. I don’t know why yet.”

“You don’t know?” Colin asked.

Damian shook his head.

“How did you do all this? You didn’t like, plan?” Colin pressed.

Damian shook his head again. “I usually just get an idea, sit with it for a little while, then I sketch it out and paint it. I came up with the first one in the shower one day and didn’t start it until a few days later.”

Colin smiled at him.

“You’re, like, really cool, did you know that?” Colin asked.

Damian blushed. “No I’m not.”

“You are,” Colin said, continuing to gawk at the paintings.

“DINNER’S READY!” Jason called from the first floor.

Colin and Damian both jump but leave the painting on the bed to join Damian’s family for dinner.

~ ~ ~

“So, Colin,” Tim said when they had all settled at the table. It was far less nerve wracking than the first time. “What do your parents do?”

“Uh,” Colin mumbled, sinking a little in his seat, “I don’t … have parents?”

Tim sputtered a little around the beer he had begun sipping.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

“No, it’s fine!” Colin interrupted, shaking his hands furiously. “I mean, it sucks yeah, but I didn’t really know them. They died when I was really little.”

“Sorry,” Damian said to Colin. “I didn’t tell them. I should have told them.”

“No, it’s ok,” Colin assured him, “I think I might’ve been mad if you did. I don’t know. I don’t like people knowing before I meet them … properly.”

Jason grunted. “I get that,” he said.

Everyone looked to him.

“What?” he yelped, defensively. “I’m being nice!”

Colin looked over to Damian for how to proceed. Damian nodded, like he understood.

“Colin lives with his mom’s cousin right now,” Damian supplied. “He goes to Gotham High and he works part-time at a gas station. You guys don’t have to grill him. He doesn’t, like, deal drugs or anything.”

“Good,” Tim said.

“What, um,” Colin piped. “What do you do Mr—Tim.”

“I work at Wayne Enterprise at the moment. I’m the acting CEO, but I’m sure you knew that already,” Tim said, waving his hand in the air like it wasn’t a big deal.

Colin nodded. “I remembered. I’m just … nervous.”

“Good,” Jason said. “Means you’re a little afraid of us, which means you won’t fuck with my kid.”

“Jason,” Tim warned.

“Shutting up,” Jason grumbled, shoving a big bite of enchilada in his mouth.

There’s a brief silence before Bash started bombarding Colin with his own questions.

“Are you Damian’s boyfriend?” he asked first.

Colin paused. He doesn’t get the chance to answer before Bash is moving on to the next question.

“Do you play football? You look like you play football! Can you throw with me? Dad has a bad arm and Mom doesn’t tighten his spiral enough so I can never catch it.”

Colin nodded his head.

“I’m a linebacker though,” he said. “I don’t do a whole lot of throwing. Not sure I can help you.”

“Even better, you can teach me how to beat someone up!”

“Sebastian,” Tim warned, an entirely more gritty, low tone than the one he used on Jason previously.

“Sorry,” Bash said. “I promise though, if you teach me, I’ll only use my powers for good.”

Tim groaned and pressed his forehead into the heel of his hand.

“Ignore them,” Damian supplied. “I don’t bring people around a ton. And they wonder why.”

“S’okay,” Colin said, smiling. “I don’t mind.”

Damian nodded.

The rest of dinner was pleasant.

~ ~ ~

Colin and Damian sat on the couch to eat desert and watched Bash and Izzie play. Izzie got a Doc McStuffins doctor set and was tending to her stuffed bunny, Floof, as she had been feeling sick since Christmas (since after Izzie opened her new toy). Bash had gotten some new coloring books and crayons (along with a new football and jersey) which he was currently hunched over, gnawing on the tentacle of his stuffed alien, Greenman.

Colin can’t help but ask.

“How come they’re so much younger than you?”

Damian started stirring his ice cream, instead of scooping it.

“My mom was young when he had me,” Damian explained. “He wasn’t ready to have any more until I was like ten, I guess.”

“Oh,” Colin said. “How old was he?”

“Sixteen,” Damian replied.

Colin suddenly understood. “Right. You said that before. That night. Is that why they got so upset when they thought we were … ya know.”

Damian nodded.

“That makes sense. Parents not wanting you to repeat their mistakes. The whole schtick.”

“It’s not just that,” Damian said, a little sharper than he intended. “Sorry. I meant … It’s just a bit of touchy subject. That’s all.”

“Oh, sorry,” Colin said. “Your mom seemed pretty comfortable talking about all that earlier.”

“That’s because he’s not talking about the bad stuff. Just the good stuff. The after stuff.”

Colin knitted his eyebrows together. “What do you mean?”

Damian sighed and set his bowl on the coffee table. Colin followed suit.

“You don’t have to be involved with my family drama,” Damian said. “You really don’t. There are a lot of things. Like _a lot_.”

“I don’t mind. I mean I don’t really have much of a family. Nice change of pace,” Colin teased.

Damian didn’t look at him.

“I didn’t mean that,” Colin said, quickly.

“S’fine,” Damian mumbled. “Let’s go make-out.”

Colin took a moment to process what Damian had said, frozen in place as he watched his sort-of boyfriend get up and start for the stairs. When he realized Colin wasn’t behind him, Damian turned and nudged his head in the direction of the second floor. Colin scrambled to follow.


	3. Communication

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian and Colin have issues (tm)

Colin started coming over more often. Most days after school Tim would find them eating snacks together on the couch, watching Izzie and Bash while they all waited for Jason to come home. Colin often left before Jason got there, though. It wasn’t that he was afraid of Jason but … no that was it. He was afraid of Jason.

One night, Colin thought to ask Tim about him.

“Does Jason not like me?”

“Not at all,” Tim chuckled, continuing to roll pizza dough.

Damian was helping Izzie find something in her room.

“Why not?” Colin asked. It was just a nagging question. A persistent worry. No matter how much he tried to push the thought aside, he couldn’t.

“It’s nothing about you, hun,” Tim assured him, stopping his hands and looking off in the distance a little. “He’s always been protective of Damian. Him and me both. We spent a really long time being … afraid. For him. For his safety. And we really don’t have a lot of reason to anymore, but it’s hard to let that go sometimes. For Jason it’s especially hard. He wasn’t around for the first couple years and he blames himself for everything that happened to Damian when he was young.”

“He … wasn’t around?”

“Oh yeah. We didn’t get together until I was twenty-one. He was a flighty guy. Didn’t feel like he had a home in Gotham, so he left. And Damian needed something stable. I wasn’t about to get involved with someone who was a whole ocean away.”

“Wait,” Colin said, holding up his hands and counting silently on his fingers. “You didn’t start dating Jason until you were twenty-one, but Damian was born when you were sixteen … then how did you guys have Damian?”

“Did Damian not—” he’s cut off by his older son coming down the stairs, arguing loudly with Bash.

“I told you to stop going in my room, Sebastian! There’s no ‘but’ about it! I don’t have your toys! Don’t mess with my stuff!” he called over his shoulder, the one Izzie wasn’t holding onto.

“Damian, stop yelling!” Tim hissed. “BASH! STOP GOING IN YOUR BROTHER’S ROOM!”

“You’re yelling,” Damian grumbled, walking up next to Colin. “You know you don’t have to be here.”

Colin’s chest tightened a little, but Damian seemed to realize what he said.

“I didn’t mean it like that, sorry. That was kinda mean,” Damian mumbled.

“You’re not mean,” Colin assured. “A little blunt. Not mean.”

“No, mean,” Izzie declared.

“Hey, I just helped you find a doll for thirty minutes! How is _that_ mean?” Damian asked.

Izzie giggled. “You didn’t find her.”

“I meant, my family is crazy and loud and annoying all the time. I don’t get how it doesn’t bother you.”

“Ouch,” Tim said, dramatically clutching his chest. “I’m wounded. Damian you’ve wounded your mother.”

Izzie squirmed out of her brother’s arms and ran around to the kitchen, throwing her arms around her mother’s legs.

“I’ll save you Mommy!” she declared.

Tim swept her off the floor, giving her big wet smooches across the face to make her laugh. “Thank you, baby. I knew you would.”

“See what I mean,” Damian said, pointing to his mother and sister. “Fucking weird.”

“Language,” Tim said, a little too distracted by kissing Izzie’s face to properly chastise.

“I don’t know,” Colin whispered to himself, “I like it.”

~ ~ ~

Colin and Damian laid next to each other in bed.

Colin had snuck back in after Damian’s parents fell asleep. He and Damian made out a little, put hands down pants, then Damian drew his line and they just enjoyed each other’s company. Colin was absently running his fingers along the scars of Damian’s upper arm, thinking about what Tim had said earlier.

“Damian,” Colin said, breaking the stillness of the room.

Damian groaned a little, feeling that was answer enough.

“Can I ask you something?”

Damian stirred a little more, turning his head so his chin was resting on Colin’s shoulder. He was wide-eyed, waiting for the question.

“Is there something about your dad that … that I need to know?” Colin asked.

Damian tensed a little. “No,” he said. “Why?”

“Well, it’s just … I was talking to your mom earlier … about Jason … about how he doesn’t like me … and he just said something I’ve been thinking about … about you telling me something … about Jason.”

“Oh,” Damian said, sighing and laying his head back down so he was no longer looking at Colin.

“You know … you can talk to me. Right?” Colin said. “We’ve known each other for a while. I mean you know a lot about me.”

“It’s different,” Damian mumbled, tightening his hold around Colin’s torso.

“How?”

Damian sat up again, a bit more violent. He rolled off the bed and curled up on the floor with his back to Colin.

“Damian?” Colin said, after a moment.

“It’s a lot,” Damian replied.

“A lot?”

“A lot,” Damian confirmed.

Colin didn’t move to get closer. He let Damian move along at his own pace. If he need distance to talk about this, he needed distance.

“Jason’s not my dad,” Damian said.

“What?” Colin was trying to contain his voice, but it was hard.

“I mean … he is … but he isn’t.”

Colin sat cross-legged, hands in his lap, facing Damian’s back. He was very confused.

“When my mom was our age, he had a boyfriend who was really bad to him. Like hit him and threatened him while he was pregnant and the whole nine-yards. That guy … whoever he is … he’s my dad, my father. But I don’t think of him like that. He was nasty and mean and he tried to get my mom to get rid of me the whole time he was pregnant. Then he tried to take me away. He _did_ take me away. Twice.”

Damian swallowed thickly. He noticed his hands had begun to shake. He wondered when that started.

“Dami—”

“And he did stuff. Bad stuff. Stuff I’m not really ready to talk about, not right now, maybe not ever. That … man … that alpha that sired me, he’s _not_ my father. He doesn’t get to do the things he did and get to be my father. Jason … Jason was there from the beginning. He took care of me. He made sure I was safe. When my father managed to take me, Jason brought me back. He cared about me. He _cares_ about me. Jason … Jason is my father. He always has been. He always will be. That’s why I didn’t tell you. That’s why I don’t really tell anyone.”

Colin nodded, numbly. He wasn’t sure what to say.

“I understand if you want to leave. If you don’t … if you don’t wanna do this anymore. It’s a lot. It’s not what you signed up for. It’s not your responsibility.”

Colin shook his head and climbed over the bed, settling in front of Damian.

“I don’t wanna leave,” he declared. “I don’t care about all that stuff. It’s your past. I have a past.” Colin reached out, going to hold Damian’s hand, to comfort him.

“It’s not just my past though,” Damian snapped, jerking away and pushing himself further into the bed. “It’s … it’s my _reality_. Dad and I have to fight for people to understand just because we don’t smell like one another, we’re still family. Mom and I are constantly afraid that _he’ll_ come back. I have nightmares … my father … it’s not just a past, Colin. It’s the present. It’s the future. It’s _everything_ all at once.”

Colin didn’t know what to do. Damian was almost crying. He felt like he should get someone. Felt like he wasn’t equipped to comfort his own boyfriend.

“Can you just leave?” Damian asked.

Colin didn’t protest. He put his jacket on and climbed out the window. He left.

Damian cried.

~ ~ ~

Colin stopped coming around.

Jason and Tim took notice. Not just of Colin’s sudden absence, but Damian’s behavior. He stopped eating unless Jason or Tim forced him. He locked himself in his bedroom if he wasn’t going to school or being forced to eat. He didn’t talk about it. Any of it.

“I’m talking to him,” Jason declared.

“No,” Tim said, sipping his coffee. “If you go in there, you’re going to try and make him better. He doesn’t need you to make him better. He needs you to be there for him.”

“Ok, then I’ll go be there for him in his room,” Jason protested, getting up from the table.

Tim reached out and grabbed Jason by the wrist. “You have to let him come to you,” he said.

“How are you so calm about this?”

Tim’s eyes dipped to his mug. “I’m no stranger to heartbreak, Jay.”

Jason’s chest tightened.

Of course. Jason had been the one to reject Tim when he was sixteen. The man who was Damian’s father had pushed Tim hard enough he broke him to pieces.

Tim was _no_ stranger to heartbreak.

~ ~ ~

Colin came around one night while Tim was putting Izzie to bed. Jason had Bash, but he was easy. You turned the lights off and said “Goodnight” and he was out. So, Jason was the one who ended up answering.

“Hello?” Jason said, his voice sharp and cutting.

“Uh … hi Mr. Wayne, I mean Todd, I mean Jason,” Colin fumbled.

“Yes Colin, what do you need,” Jason prompted, moving his hand in an annoyed _get on with it_ gesture.

“Can I … can I talk to Damian?”

Jason narrowed his eyes. He looked over his shoulder, then outside, then stepped onto the porch, closing the door behind him. He folded his arms and stared down at Colin.

Colin was a good 5’11”, but Jason towered over him at 6’3” at least. He carried his muscle evenly, his thighs looking just as thick and strong as his biceps. The way his chest tensed, and his fists clenched … Colin could have shit his pants.

“Listen,” Jason said, “I don’t know what happened. I don’t know what issue he has with you right now. I don’t even know who, if anyone, is at fault here. Frankly, I don’t care. All I know is you managed to do something, not a lot of people can … you got him to trust you. You … you surprised me. But now … my kid is upset. And I want to invite you in. I want to put you two in a room and force you to work whatever this is out. I really do. But I won’t.”

“I didn’t …” Colin yelped. He lowered his voice, hung his head. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“Well, you did,” Jason said, though he didn’t sound like he held any ill will towards Colin about it. He sounded indifferent. “But, Damian is strong and has come back from things far worse than a petty fight. Far worse.”

“I know, but I don’t want to leave knowing that,” Colin declared, gaining the confidence to look Jason in the eye. “I _can’t_ leave until I know … until I know he’s _ok._ ”

Jason thought for a moment.

“Can you take my word,” Jason said.

Colin went to protest.

“Just for now,” Jason said. “Just … just until he’s ready to see you.”

Colin nodded. “Ok.”

Jason decided not to tell Damian.


	4. The Paintings as a Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final family dinner and understandiing one another. COMMUNICATION LADS, IT'S KEY!

Jason called Colin on a Wednesday to invite him over for dinner.

Colin didn’t ask about Damian or why it was _Jason_ calling. He agreed and hung up. It had been months since the boys spoke. Colin had almost given up. Almost.

“Glad you could make it,” Jason said, letting Colin come in and take off his raincoat, telling him to leave his wet shoes on the mat. “Everything’s ready, Tim’s just setting the table.”

Colin nodded, putting his hands in his pockets so he didn’t do something stupid with them. He followed obediently behind Jason, letting himself be led to the sitting area where the family ate dinner.

Sure enough, Tim was walking around putting silverware next to the plates. It’s only the three of them right now, but there are four plates. Colin assumed the fourth was for Damian, who was absent.

“He was out with his grandfather today,” Jason supplied, setting a beer at his seat and Tim’s. “They were supposed to be back a half-hour ago. They’re running a little late.”

Colin sat at one of the empty spots, hoping silently it wasn’t Damian’s seat.

Tim and Jason sat with him.

“Does he … does he know I’m coming?” Colin asked.

“He invited you,” Tim said, smiling that warm smile that makes Colin want to curl up on Tim’s lap, let him pet his hair, mother him.

Colin’s heart skipped.

“He hasn’t talked to me,” Colin admitted.

“He’s not good with talking,” Jason stated. “He takes after his mother.”

“Hey! I’m perfectly fine at talking,” Tim said.

“Five years ago. Bruce’s Christmas Party,” Jason deadpanned, smirking like he’d won whatever game they were playing.

Tim glared at him but didn’t let the conversation continue further aloud. From the looks they were giving each other, Colin assumed the conversation was still going on when Damian walked in.

They heard him calling out a goodbye to Bruce, a car driving away, and the door closing. Damian walked into the sitting area, shedding his jacket and tossing it over the back of one of the chairs at the breakfast bar.

“Damian, go hang up your coat,” Tim ordered.

Damian sat down at the empty place setting, across from Colin, next to Jason.

“I will, but can we eat first. I’m starving!” Damian said, not saying hello to anyone. Not acknowledging Colin was there.

“Damian,” Jason warned.

Damian rolled his eyes and got back up, picking up his jacket and walking it back to the front of the house to hang it up. He returned in a second, settling back in his seat and folding his hands on the table, giving Jason and Tim a big fake smile.

“Happy?”

“Very,” Tim said, not pointing out Damian’s tone or taunting face.

“Colin, pass the potatoes,” Jason said.

Caught off guard by being addressed, he jumped, but picked up the pot of potatoes and handed them to Jason who spooned some onto his plate and passed it off to Damian, who followed suit. They went around like this with the rest of the food, silently.

Once everyone had a full plate Jason said “Dig in!” and no one argued.

Halfway though, Colin stopped.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“You were worried about me,” Damian said, like it answered all his questions.

“Yeah,” Colin said.

“Well are you still worried?”

Colin thought for a second and then shook his head.

“I just thought we would talk about … what happened,” Colin said.

“That’s why they’re here,” Damian explained, gesturing to his parents.

Colin quirked an eyebrow.

Damian set his fork down and looked very serious. “You have questions. About what happened. About my past. About … my family. Well this is how you get them answered.”

He picked his fork back up and started eating again.

Colin played with his potatoes for a while, trying to come up with something to say.

Tim took notice.

“Do you know where to start?” he asked.

Colin shook his head.

“Try,” Damian demanded, though his voice was oddly gentle and encouraging.

There’s another, more brief moment of silence.

“The baby book,” Colin finally said. “Start with the baby book.”

Tim visibly tensed.

Damian looked at his mother, almost apologetic.

“It’s just pictures of me, from when I was in the hospital,” Damian said.

“The hospital?” Colin asked.

“Damian was early. Really early,” Tim offered, swallowing thickly. “He spent the first two months of his life in the hospital.”

“Oh, where you ok?” Colin asked, wanting to smack himself as soon as he asked.

It at least earned a chuckle from the table.

“No Colin, I died,” Damian replied. His parents seemed to laugh harder.

“You said before that your father … the other one … the bad one … you said he took you.”

“What’s the question,” Damian said.

“Why?”

Damian looked to his mother.

“He wanted to hurt me,” Tim replied, teeth gritted. “Next question.”

“It happened twice?”

Damian nodded.

“When?”

“The first time I was just a baby,” Damian said, eyes on his lap. “The second time …”

“He was four the second time,” Jason said.

“And you’re the one who found him?” Colin asked.

“The first time,” Jason replied. “I helped the second, but Tim found him.”

“Where did he take you?”

“Blüdhaven the first time. An apartment where he shot up. He left me for a few days. Jason was in town. He found me,” Damian said, repeating _he_ _found_ _me_ a couple times before he seemed to come back to himself.

“Arizona the second,” Jason said. “Took us longer that time. They moved around a lot.”

“What happened? While you were with him?”

Damian’s fist tightened around his fork and his chest started to rise and fall quicker. Jason reached out and rested a hand on Damian’s. He seemed to relax a little.

“Swimming. At first. Then h-he would come in my bedroom at night. I-it didn’t stop for a long time,” Damian whispered.

Tim and Jason both look solemn. They knew. This was the first time Damian said it aloud, confirmed it, but they knew.

“Do you … hate him?” Colin thought maybe it was a dumb question. But Damian surprised him as always.

“Not all the time,” Damian admitted. “Most days. But sometimes I remember him dancing with me in the motel or taking me to restaurants. Sometimes … I forget for a little while.”

“ _I_ hate him,” Tim said. Jason nodded in agreement. “I’ll skin him alive if he ever comes back to Gotham.”

“You haven’t seen him since then?” Colin asked.

Damian shook his head. “He’s not allowed to see me. Mom has a restraining order. The courts took away his paternal rights. Jason adopted me once the paperwork was finished. It took a long time. We were afraid for a little bit. But it worked out in the end.”

“We have … precautions too,” Jason said. “Tracking on his cellphone. Safe words. Self-defense training.”

“Self-defense training? Doesn’t that seem … I don’t know, a little much?”

They all shook their heads.

“I’m a black belt in taekwondo,” Damian said. “I know how to handle a gun. I’ve fought guys twice my size. I’m not defenseless and I never will be again.”

“Damian asked for them, the classes,” Jason stated. “We agreed. They were important. For us. For him.”

Colin nodded. He was beginning to understand. This was what a family looked like.

Maybe not _this_ exactly. Even Colin was aware that whatever _this_ was … wasn’t entirely normal. But still, they loved each other, listened to each other, took care of each other. Colin was sure that was why Tim and Jason where with them at this dinner, this rekindling of their relationship. They had to make sure Damian was taken care of, safe, and Damian had to know he was protected, not alone.

“Ok. I don’t think I have anymore. I think, I get it,” Colin told the family.

They all nodded. “You can ask us anything, anytime,” Tim said. “We’re a pretty open book.”

“Thanks,” Colin said. “For everything. For … for letting me in. Thanks.”

“We good?” Damian asked.

Colin smiled. “Yeah. We’re good.”


End file.
